Does Windows 7 close the Door on XP?

An Information Week  report announced “XP’s Day of Reckoning is at Hand“.  After reading the article I waited for research to educate me on not just the hype on Windows 7,  but the pace of expected deployments in this economy.  InformationWeek  came through with their analytics report which I received for free after attending  The Business Case for Windows7 virtual event.   The case for Windows 7 is compelling for AutoCAD users, remote offices and Vista users already.

Most businesses are not aware of what’s in it for them, I’ve compiled a resource list to help the IT staff help explain to the CFO/controller the benefits, improvements, challenges with Windows 7.   You need to share with management some basics like mainstream support ended in April and security updates are it for XP (no bug fixes or enhancements to work with new products).    Communicate with management. Get Testing! Here’s my list of resources in no particular order:

10 Features to Anticipate in Windows 7

No Exchange 2007 on Windows 2008 R2

Top 8 Strategic Points When Weighing Win 7 Adoption

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor (Can your PC Run Windows 7?)

Microsoft Makes Business case for Windows 7

Windows 7 What’s New Guide (from Dell – techie oriented)

Windows 7 Security Holes Plugged (From eWeek FYI if you’ve been reading old materials)

Intel Wiki on Windows 7, Microsoft ConfigMgr SP2 and Intel’s Vpro Technology (very tech oriented)

You’ll want to have Windows Server 2008 R2 in testing too as that’s where the rubber hits the road with the big benefits of Windows 7 (if you can afford to upgrade to Exchange 2010 simultaneously).  The official release date for Windows 7 is October 22nd.  Good luck and let me know if this info helped you out.